MAN Powers Antarctic Icebreaker

MAN Diesel & Turbo has been selected to supply the main engines to a new, icebreaking, supply-and-research vessel for the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).

The 2 × 16V32/44CR main engines – each producing 9,600 kW – were chosen for their highly reliable and fuel-efficient design that will serve in an environment with a demanding operational profile, including temperatures down to -30 degrees and extended mission times. The vessel is being procured by Serco Defence through DMS Maritime (prime contractor) and will be designed and built by Damen Shipyards Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS). This complex vessel will form an integral part of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) program for the next three decades. Handover to AAD is scheduled for April 2020. The new icebreaker will succeed the old research vessel ‘Aurora Australis’ and will have greater icebreaking and cargo capacity, increased endurance and operational flexibility, a high standard of environmental performance and state-of-the-art research, rescue and resupply capabilities.

Features onboard will include a moon pool, drop-keel, multi-beam bathymetric and scientific echo sounders, fisheries sonar systems, hydrophones and underwater cameras to support a wide range of scientific research in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.

In addition to the engines and their related plant equipment, MAN Diesel & Turbo will also supply its in-house-designed SCR system to ensure the environmentally friendly footprint of this new, state-of-the-art vessel in the pristine Antarctic environment. The compact and well proven SCR system is available in a wide range of sizes and covers the entire MAN portfolio of medium-speed engines. A special feature of the system is its communication
with the engine control system that optimises the temperature for the SCR system at individual load-points.